Improvement in desk attachments for chairs



" 2 SheetsSheet 1.

J. A. PARK & W. .WO0DHOUSE..

, DESK-ATTACHME NTS Foncmms. No.183 ,3Z3. Patented Oct.17, 1876.

WITNESSES [JV vm f R, Q ZMXs g 4. m MWMV Attorney N. PETERS. Y'KQTO-UTHOGRAFNER, WASHINGTON. D Q

UNITED Srmrns PATENT Qrr'ron JAMES A. PARK, OF LANSING, AND WILLIAM WOODHOUSE, OF MASON,

MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN DESK ATTACHMENTS FOR CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,323, dated October 17, 1876; application filed February 21, 1876.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, JAMES A. PARK, of Lansing, Ingham count-y, Michigan, and WIL- LIAM VVOODHOUSE, of Mason, in the county of Ingham and in the State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Writing and Reading Desks for Chairs; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

()ur invention consists in a desk and contrivance for holding the same upon a chair, to

be used for purposes of reading, writing, copy- The desk is made fast to the chair.

stationery, letters, documents, &c., and an inkwell is attached. I t is a small secretary within itself; a desk for one, or a family, to be carried about as easily as a large book, to be used anywhere about the house, or even out of doors in summer-anywhere that a chair may be taken and, as the desk is adjustable to accommodate. the position given the body, one may write or read sitting when it is comfortable, and in natural upright and healthful position.

The desk may be removed from the chair in less than a second, or it may be turned around over the seat of the chair out of the way when not in use.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which our invention appertains to make and use the same, we will nowproceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective View of our desk attached to a chair. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the desk. Figs. 3 and 4 are detached views of parts thereof.

wedge-shaped pin G of the casting F.

&c.,and a top,B,with box 0 thereon,for other materials, and a book-rack and shelf, D, pivoted thereto.

The attachments consist of a standard, E, flanged casting, F, with wedgepin G, a circular casting, H, a washer, I, and packing J. The standard E is made of malleable or bendable metal, that may be bent to fit the chair. The socket E in the upper end thereof receives and holds perpendicularly the This flanged casting F is secured to the desk within the circular casting H, and between the inner rim of the latter casting and the washer I, while underneath the washer, between it and the castings F and H, a piece of rubber packing, J, may be placed, and thus, when the circular casting H has been firmly screwed to the bottom of the desk, the said casting F is securely held in place, presenting considerable surface to the washer, next to the bottom of the desk, and the latter is held quite steadily upon the chair in any position in which it is placed when the wedge-pin G is inserted in the socket E.

The flanged casting F is intended to turn within the circular rim H just hard enough to require a slight effort beyond the ordinary movement of the body while writing upon the desk to move the same.

The tray A may be constructed as shown in the drawing, or in any other suitable manner. The part of the bottom marked K is made beveling, the rear edge being the thinnest. The attachment castings are .intended to work as nearly as may be'in perpendicular and horizontal positions, and the incline of the desk is obtained through the medium of the bevel of the board K, while the desk is kept level with the plane of the bearing of the casting F upon the bottom of the desk in a crosswise direction. are provided with grooves a, and the top B is held to slide thereon by means of the ways I) b, which are made to slide in the grooves a. a, so that the top can slide off at either end of the tray. The top is held upon the tray to close the latter by means of a small springcatch, d, constructed and operating as shown in Fig. 4.. Upon the outer end ofthe top B The side rails of the tray is erected a box, 0, set forward from the plane of the top, and in this box is a false bottom, f. To the upper and inner edge of this box is hinged a small door, 0 opening from the bottom upward, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and made to spring shut by means of a spring, 6, and thereby made to answer the double purpose of a door and a paper-clip, the lower edge fitting down on the top 13 when the door is closed. As writing progresses the paper is pushed forward underneath this clip and under the false bottom f of the box 0 and out at the outer end of the desk if need be, which position is shown in Fig. 1. The interior of the box 0 is a proper place for envelopes, letters, 850., and attached to one end on the outside is an ink-well, 0 Upon the top of the box is the book-rack or shelf D, se-

cured thereto by a single screw, whereby the .shelf may be turned at any angle in horizontal position.

For reading purposes alone the top should be drawn backward, partly off the tray, which, beingswung as near the body as is convenient,

allows the book placed in the rack D, and turned at the proper angle, to be brought prop- .erly under the focus of the eye, reducing the labor of reading by the labor otherwise required to hold the book.

For all the purposes of copying from papers and books, or study, the general arrangement of the various parts of the desk enables the same to be performed sitting in an upright and healthful position, the desk being capable of being brought up to the person in proper shape to afford rest and support to the body and right arm.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a desk for chairs,

of the casting E, constructed with socket E, the disk F, with wedge-shaped pin G, the flanged casting H, and washer I substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The beveled or wedge-shaped board K, in combination with the desk and the flanged casting H,and revolving disk F, provided with supporting-pin G, for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The combination of the tray A, having longitudinal grooves a a, the sliding top B, constructed with ways I) b, and the catch d, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4. The sliding desk-top 13, provided with the box 0, having false bottom f, for the purpose herein set forth.

5. The hinged spring-door O in combina tion with the box 0 and sliding desk-top B, for the purposes herein set forth.

6. The pivoted book-rack and' shelf D, in combination with the box 0 and sliding top B, as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands this 22d day of January, 1876.

JAMES A. PARK. WM. WOODHOUSE.

Witnesses:

PETER LOWE, EDWD. LOWE. 

